Australian wrestler Harry Garside has revealed his female teammates are “quite scared” after Algerian wrestler Iman Khelif’s “dangerous” and highly controversial 46-second win over Italy’s Angela Carini at the Paris Olympics.
Her comments come as Australian boxer Marissa Williamson Pohlman hits out at the International Olympic Committee over the scandal.
The women’s 66kg division has attracted global attention after the IOC confirmed that two boxers who were disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing gender eligibility tests were allowed to fight in Paris.
Khelif (66kg) and Lin Yu-ting (57kg) of Taiwan have been eliminated from the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Boxing Championships due to integrity issues.
The IBA said chromosomal tests showed both athletes had XY chromosomes, which are typically male, while women had XX chromosomes.
Carini abandoned his fight against Khelif, fearing for his safety after suffering a suspected broken nose, falling to his knees and telling his corner “it’s not fair.”
“I’ve never been hit so hard in my life. The IOC is the one who should judge,” Carini said after the fight.
Khelif, an accomplished amateur athlete who won silver at the 2022 World Championships, is not transgender and does not reportedly identify as intersex, a term applied to people who have characteristics that do not fit into the usual notions of what it means to be male or female.
The IOC defended its decision, saying athletes had been competing in women’s categories for years and were victims of an arbitrary decision by the IBA when they were banned.
Algerian fighter Iman Khelif has been banned by the International Boxing Association, which claimed she registered a test result showing she has XY chromosomes.
Khelif (left) easily defeated Italy’s Angela Carini, whom she defeated in 46 seconds in their round of 16 match at the Paris Olympics (pictured)
Carini was left crying with a suspected broken nose after the fight, and later said she had never been hit that hard before.
Now Garside has called on the IOC to listen to female fighters in Paris to ensure there is a safe and fair competition for all boxers, while revealing that fear is taking hold among the women on the team.
“It’s a very, very difficult conversation to have, it’s very difficult for me to comment on a topic like this,” she told KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O show on Friday.
‘All I can do is ask the women on my team what they think and trust them because I respect and love my teammates so much.
“I want them to be safe and have a level playing field. A lot of the girls are quite scared, a lot of them think it’s not fair.
‘As a man, it’s quite difficult for me to have an opinion on this, but I must respect and honour the opinions of my teammates.
“If they think it’s unfair, then I think we need to listen to the women in the division and find out what they’re really thinking.”
Australian star Harry Garside (pictured) wants the IOC to listen to female boxers as controversy mounts over the inclusion of the two boxers.
Garside also sympathized with Khelif, but stressed that there must be a level playing field for all fighters.
“It’s tough, because if the Algerian boxer was born like that, you have to put yourself in his place too,” he said.
‘Like I said, I just have to listen to my female athletes and see what their opinion is.
“Because I care about them, I want them to be safe and I want them to have the best opportunities on a level playing field.”
Her teammate Marissa Williamson-Pohlman, who fights in Khelif’s division, said the Algerian’s DNA tests should be made public and the decision should be based on the safety of all female boxers.
“Obviously, it’s just speculation at the moment. Supposedly, DNA tests have been done which show that Imane is XY,” Williamson-Pohlman said from Paris.
“If that’s the case, (firstly) you have to come forward and accept it and, (secondly) the IOC should intervene because trying to make it fair for one person is making it unfair for many more.”
Australian fighter Marissa Williamson-Pohlman (pictured) wants DNA records to be made public so decisions can be made about the safety of female boxers.
This comes as Australian boxing captain Caitlin Parker said she believes the Olympics’ approval of two boxers who had failed gender eligibility tests was “incredibly dangerous”.
“I don’t agree with them being allowed to compete in sports, especially combat sports. It can be incredibly dangerous,” Parker said.
“It’s not that I haven’t sparred before, but you know it can be dangerous for combat sports and should be seriously investigated.
‘Yes, biologically… genetically they will have more advantages.
‘I really hope that the organisations will come to an agreement so that boxing can continue to be present at the Olympic Games.
“It’s the oldest Olympic sport. Women’s boxing was only introduced in 2012 and I want to see it continue for the next 100 or 200 years.”